Land of Misfits
by VictoriousAgain
Summary: Two lonely souls find each other at a grubby diner.
1. Monday Night

Robbie Shapiro was seven years old when his father left. He knew he was nothing special. Many kids are children of divorce. What's new? He simply couldn't understand then why he felt so crushed by the whole affair. Perhaps it was because he idolised his father even though Robbie knew he definitely wasn't the dream son most Dad's probably wanted. He couldn't catch a ball to save his life, and because of his asthma, most sports were out of the question anyway. Even dull activities like fishing or watching football bored Robbie to tears. His dad had always pursed his lips in unspoken disappointment whenever he would catch Robbie loitering in the kitchen with his mother, helping with the cooking preparation, or inside his bedroom playing with his puppet that his Uncle Jordan had gifted him with. Still, Robbie can remember the day his father had walked out as if it had only taken place yesterday.

It was close to Midnight, Robbie was still struggling to sleep ever since his father had insisted he was too old for a night light, and the front door had slammed rather loudly causing Robbie to jump in fright. He had huddled under his bed sheets for a while, but the sound of the car engine rumbling sent him tumbling out of his bed and to his bedroom window.

Hastily whipping on his glasses, he could just make out his father's figure driving off into the night, a large suitcase visible from the back seat. The next morning, Robbie's mother was already sitting at the kitchen table. It looked as if she hadn't moved all night and there were two empty wine bottles before her. She gazed tiredly at Robbie before announcing, "Your dad's gone. He's not coming back. You're a big kid now, Rob. Get dressed and don't miss the bus to school."

Robbie had never caught the school bus before and was terrified of the thought. What if hoons caught him on the way to the bus stop? What if the bus driver was mean and didn't let him get on the bus? What if the other kids picked on him for wearing the fuzzy sweater his grandma had made him? Robbie's father would have scoffed at any sign of weakness, and so with as much resilience as possible, Robbie walks by himself down four blocks and waits anxiously at his stop.

It tuned out that catching the bus wasn't all that bad. He sits by himself at the very back. One kid does turn to face him with malicious glee, raising up a straw to probably hurl a spitball at him, but is promptly stopped by a rather tall, tanned boy with a head of thick hair.

"Leave him alone." The tanned boy instructs. Whoever this boy was, it was clear he was respected as the nasty child slumped back in his seat. To Robbie's surprise, the boy moves to sit next to Robbie. "I'm Beck." He introduces with a friendly smile. "This is my friend, Andre." He adds, pointing to a dark-skinned boy that Robbie hadn't noticed approaching.

"Hey." Robbie squeals, feeling more pathetic than usual.

The two older boys share a strange glance, and then turn to face Robbie with what looks like pity in their eyes.

"Why don't you hang with us today?" Beck suggests.

"Yeah, we can make sure no one picks on you." Andre adds.

Robbie grins gratefully at these two boys who have taken compassion on him. Starting that day, Robbie wore his status as a loser with pride. It didn't matter what people thought of him. He had friends now. Cool friends. Friends that would look after him because he was no more than a geek incapable of protecting himself. Even if he felt like an outcast among them at times, at least he could get by.

That had been 10 years ago. Now Robbie's 17 and his view is slightly less optimistic.

Perhaps forming a friendship based on the fact he was a needy loser was not the best foundation. With senior year approaching and everyone busy getting ready for college applications and talks about prom and planning what they'll do over the Summer, Robbie has never felt more alone. Possibly the only other person just as subdued as him was Jade West, who even nine months after breaking up with Beck, still seemed quite distant and withdrawn from the rest of her friends.

Robbie doesn't have time to ponder these thoughts as arrives home from school. The second he pushes the door open, the scent of alcohol overwhelms Robbie's nostrils and distracts him. With a look of disgust, he spots his mother passed out on the couch, a near-empty wine bottle still clasped in her hand. There's a red wine stain on the carpet and what appears to be vomit in the sink.

Robbie sighs, his chest tightening in suppressed anger as he sets to cleaning the house. He always swore he'd leave his mum to wake to the mess she had caused, but just couldn't bring himself to increase her stress levels. Though never outwardly acknowledged, Robbie still blamed himself for his father abandoning them. So he cleans in silence, almost grateful when the smell of carpet bleach overpowers the alcohol wafting in the air. When he's done, he moves to the fridge to prepare some dinner. Of course, there's nothing inside.

He doesn't know what compels him to do so, but he races outside to his car, as if the walls inside his house were closing in on him the longer he stayed there, trying to suffocate the life out of Robbie's heaving frame. With trembling hands, he starts up his car engine and drives off into the night.

Robbie had been driving for close to an hour and a half, completely unaware of where he was going. The more distance he creates from his house though, the easier it became to breathe. When he spots a tiny 24hr diner in the distance, he relaxes enough to turn into it.

The diner is rather shabby, but Robbie's surprised that it's not completely empty. A lone older man sits forlornly at a centre table, a stack of untouched pancakes in front of him. A young woman, not more than surely twenty, sits cradling a baby in the back corner of the room. Two truck drivers sit opposite each other, both looking half-asleep but content as they lazily pick at the remaining scarps on their plate. Even a woman in a slightly worn business suit sits at the counter, her laptop in front of her and a large coffee in her hand.

As inconspicuously as possible, Robbie makes his way to the back corner, slipping into a shabby booth. He picks up the large menu which seems to primarily consist of all-day breakfast foods, using it to cover his face.

It doesn't take long for footsteps to approach him as presumably the waitress approaches.

"What do you want?" An all too familiar voice drawls.

For a split second Robbie forgets how to breathe, then in shock, he slams down his menu only to come face to face with none other than Jade West.

Jade looks like she might shriek, but as usual, composes herself quickly and replaces her shock with annoyance.

"What the hell, Shapiro! What are you doing here?" She snaps. Her eyes narrowing into angry slits. Robbie can't help but detect a hint of nervousness in her gaze though.

Robbie is still so caught off guard that he only can stutter. Jade taps a foot impatiently as she looks at him like he's a bumbling fool. Even with the slightly stained white apron tied around her waist and the high ponytail pulling her dark hair back, she looks very intimidating.

"I just… I was … I don't know."

Jade lets out a very low growl, a sure warning sign that Robbie better hurry up.

"Sorry." He finally wheezes, unsure about what he was even apologising about.

Jade glares some more, but finally relents her harsh gaze.

"Look, my break is in 5. We'll speak then." She scathes. Then looking as if she's fighting a deep internal battle, she begrudgingly asks, "Can I get you something?" as if it was causing her great effort to actually do her job and see if she could serve Robbie in any way.

"Umm, su-sure." He stammers, helplessly gazing over the menu once more. "Can I get some waffles?"

"Aren't you allergic to gluten?" she snaps. Robbie blushes. He is.

"Right… well maybe I'll just get-"

"I'm getting you the gluten free apple pie. I made it. It's good." She cuts him off. "Do you want coffee?"

"O-okay."

With that Jade saunters off. She's gone so fast that Robbie has to blink rapidly to make sure he didn't just dream up her appearance. Why on earth was Jade West working at a diner an hour and a half away from her home?

She slips back into the booth not much later, two plates of apple pie and two cups of coffee are on a tray which she slams on the table. Robbie's surprised the coffee doesn't spill everywhere, but then again, every move Jade made was always deliberate and carefully planned, even if most people didn't realise it.

"So." She snaps, pushing his food in-front of him. "What are you doing here?"

"I was just driving and came across the place. There was no food at my house, so I just thought…." He trails of aimlessly, hoping that Jade wouldn't ask too many more prying questions.

Jade seems satisfied with this answer though and leans back to take a sip of her coffee. Robbie stares at her perfectly black manicured nails to avoid looking into her piercing eyes.

"How long have you worked here?" He finally asks quietly.

Jade glares viciously at him, then shrugs.

"A few months. And before you ask, no, nobody else knows."

"Can I ask why?" he queries nervously, testing his luck. He can't help it. Curiosity has gotten the better of him.

"Well, I need money. My dumb dad and stupid step mum aren't exactly going to fork out any spare cash for me while they're paying Hollywood Arts tuition fees."

Fair enough. Most people worked part-time or casual jobs, but Robbie still couldn't understand why she was working here of all places.

"But isn't this place a little far from home?" he can't help but ponder.

"Look, Shapiro, I don't like people sticking their noses into my private business. I work here because I don't want anyone I know to see me. The fact that your face is sitting in front of me right now is pissing me off in ways you'd never believe, and I'd suggest you shut up before I make you." She threatens, leaning more and more closer to his face with each hissing word.

Robbie trembles in his seat, nodding his head vigorously. "Right. No more questions. Sorry." He rambles, making a miming motion of zipping his lips shut.

The pair eats in silence from then. After twenty minutes, Jade gets up without a word and resumes her work. Robbie's already finished his food, but can't bring himself to leave. Instead, he orders a new cup of coffee every hour each time Jade comes by. She doesn't comment, and finally close to 6am she walks by his table to announce, "I finish work now."

"Cool," Robbie breathes, fumbling for his wallet. He doesn't know why he does it, but he pulls out three $20 bills and hands them to Jade.

"You're an idiot." She tells him bluntly, throwing the cash back in his face.

"It's a free country. I can tip how I want." He tells her, surprised at his own daring.

Jade looks at him strangely, before quickly snatching the now crumbled notes out of his hand and shoving them into her pocket. "Fine." She grunts, then walks off to the kitchen.

When she reemerges five minutes later, she walks straight out the door without even a look in Robbie direction. Robbie quickly races after her, catching Jade just as she opens her car door.

"How often do you work here?" he yells.

Jade looks like she's contemplating whether to just drive off without giving Robbie an answer, but eventually turns around to face him. "Monday to Thursday." She tells him bitterly. This time she does get into her car and drive away without giving him a second glance.

Robbie watches her car disappear. Absenmidnly he notes there's an alarming amount of smoke coming out of her vehicle. He really should remind her to have it checked, but this whole night seems sort of surreal and he's still not certain that he hasn't just dreamed up this entire evening.

In a dream-like state, Robbie makes his way to his own car and begins the long ride home, the image of Jade's blue eyes ingrained in his brain.

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 **Woo, another multi-chapter Rade fic (and this time, I promise RADE will be endgame). The chapters will probably be a bit shorter than my other stories, we'll have to wait and see.**

 **I know RADE is not a massively popular pairing, so if you did read this fic and enjoy it, please, PLEASE, take two seconds to leave a review. It's really the only reward I get for all the time spent writing this story and it's such an encouragement. All types of constructive feedback are appreciated.**

 **Also, I know this first chapter was a bit slow. I promise it'll pick up.**

 **Review. :)**


	2. Tuesday Night

"You're back." She notes flatly.

"Still no food at home." He shrugs.

"Whatever. I'm getting you a blueberry muffin."

"Did you make it, cause the pie yesterday was incredible."

Jade's lip actually curls upward into the slightest hint of a smile. "I did." She admits, and with that admission, she walks off.

Robbie feels himself relax back into his seat. It was 11pm now. After school, he had spent hours contemplating whether he should drive back to the mystery diner where he had caught Jade in her apparent secret job. He doesn't know why he feels so drawn to the place. Perhaps it's because it feels so removed from his usual world which consisted of bright hallways and red wine stains, but regardless, he finds himself in the same booth as yesterday waiting for Jade to greet him.

Jade hadn't looked surprised when she saw him. On the contrary, she looked as if she was fighting off a knowing smirk when he entered. After their initial, brief interaction, she had predominantly ignored him for the first hour and stayed hidden in the kitchen area concealed from his view. When she did finally approach him again close to her break, Robbie could feel his breath hitch in nervous anticipation as she sauntered over, her high ponytail swishing behind her in rather alluring fashion.

"Here." She sighs, dropping his plate and coffee in front of him. Robbie grins as she once again sits herself down opposite him causing a sudden flash of Déjà Vu. Robbie notes that the same people from last night were also seated in their exact seats, with only the addition of a ragged looking middle-aged man to the strange crowd.

Jade catches his gaze and lulls, "That's Dave. He comes in every few weeks when his wife kicks him out. Dude's lost three jobs in five months."

"Wow." Robbie hums. "Do you know all these people?"

Jade just shrugs. "Well, you kind of learn their stories after five months of seeing them nearly every night. They're all kind of cool. They actually inspire a lot of my writing. I guess that's another reason why I work at this dump."

It's probably the most she's ever spoken to Robbie at one time without insulting him, and Robbie perks up in interest.

"That's really cool." He tells her. "But don't you get tired. I mean, you work from 10pm to 6am four days a week… and you have school. How are you coping?"

Jade looks at him curiously, taking a deliberately slow sip of her coffee. "You're here, aren't you?" She eventually states. "Aren't you tired?"

"Not really." Robbie shrugs. He doesn't really sleep well at home anyway. In fact, most nights he spent restlessly tossing back and forth in his bed. Truthfully, he'd never felt more awake. Still, Jade had revealed that she'd worked this job for nearly half a year. "I just find it surprising." He admits. "Is this why you drink so much coffee?"

"I don't want to sleep. I want to live." She tells him, and with those words, her break is over and she gets up to resume her work.

Robbie once again remains waiting in his booth until Jade's shift is over. She doesn't ask him this time if he wants coffee. She refills his cup on the hour like the previous night. Robbie watches her intently every time her back is turned.

Jade doesn't seem so scary away from the lively corridors of Hollywood Arts. She did seem to stick out like a sore thumb there, her dark clothes and personality creating an ominous aura in the school hallways. Here though, she didn't seem all that scary. In fact, in this small café of misfits, she seemed to be quite at home. It makes Robbie wonder if perhaps she's a little lost in this world too.

He feels bad for never trying to talk to her, especially after her breakup with Beck. Jade always seemed so confident and angry at everything. If someone had told him that he'd find her working at a 24hr diner as a waitress two days ago, he would have laughed in their faces. But here Jade was. Apron and all.

It was approaching 6am now and Robbie watches Jade prep to leave. She's wiping down a counter, but he notices that her eyes shift every so often to the young mother with her little child who are tucked away in the corner opposite him. He wonders if Jade will actually speak with her. Sure, she had admitted to knowing about the lives of her usual customers, but he still struggles to imagine Jade willingly having a conversation with someone.

Jade finally tears her gaze away from the women and instead glances at Robbie. He immediately straightens up, blushing at being caught staring at her. Jade just smirks and struts back over to him.

"I'm going now." She states, rolling her eyes as she pockets Robbie's way too generous and slightly inappropriate tip that he's left for her on the table. "You know, I'm not going to let you grope my tits or anything no matter how much money you leave me." She tells him seriously.

She seems to rather enjoy the eggplant colour Robbie turns as he splutters in aghast. "JADE… just. Just no. Why would you even think that?"

"Hey, it's happened before." She tuts, holding up her hands in defense, but she seems to relax slightly as she watches Robbie's discomfort, almost as if she appreciates Robbie's awkwardness.

"That's despicable." He chokes, frowning deeply at her words. Thinking about all the hoons that might try and hit on Jade causes an odd tightening in his chest. He lets out an involuntary sound that sound a bit like a mangled whimper. Jade's grin only grows as she watches him squirm. "I'll walk you to your car." He boldly declares. His mind is still flashing with probably unrealistic visions of hoodlums waiting to jump her as she exited. To be fair, this was a rather dodgy part of town.

Jade doesn't argue though. She shrugs again causing her high ponytail to bounce behind her which Robbie thinks is rather sweet. She looks very pretty in the early dawn light. If he were braver, he'd voice this, but it's clear he's reached his quota of bravery for the night as he formally gestures for Jade to walk in front of him towards the exit.

They're almost at the door when Jade suddenly halts. She bites her lip uncertainly, then spins on her heel and struts to the opposite corner from where Robbie had just been sitting. To Robbie's surprise, Jade comes to a stop in front of the young mother who she'd been subtly eyeing up earlier.

"What's wrong Emma?" She asks quietly.

The girl blinks rather rapidly at Jade's sudden appearance, attempting to wake herself up from the apparent daze she had been sinking in to. "Nothing Jade." She quickly responds. She looks rather caught off guard which is a stark contrast to Jade's determined expression.

Robbie's unsure whether he should exit and give the pair privacy or stay to aid either of the women who seemed stuck in a staring competition of sorts. Jade eyes were narrowing in warning and perhaps another emotion that Robbie couldn't quite place his finger on. He thinks to himself that it may be a mixture of concern and empathy. The lady, supposedly called Emma, seems to cave first as she eventually glances away sadly.

"Harry's a bit sick." She admitted quietly, gazing down at the baby in her arms with a look of distress. Jade's harsh features soften further in worry.

Robbie detects a hint of sadness in Jade's eyes as she reaches out to place a hand on the woman's shoulder, then thinks better of it and draws her hand back

"Look, Emma, are you sure you can't return?" Jade mulls tepidly.

"Yes, Jade. And Please hush." Emma silences, looking around the almost empty diner worriedly even though Jade had purposely spoken rather quietly. Jade wasn't usually one for tact or taking time to consider other people's comfort. Or perhaps she was, and Robbie had just never noticed it. He hadn't realized a lot of things about Jade West evidently.

"Go to the doctors." Jade finally sighs. She glances over at Robbie, but he's smartly looking in the other direction, pretending to be enthralled by a rather ugly painting hung on the diner's walls.

"I will." Emma squeaks, looking rather forlorn. "I just wish money wasn't so tight."

Jade nods in understanding then gestures to the cash Emma has already left out on the table.

"Put that back in your wallet. You're not paying here."

"But Jade-" she began to protest, looking somewhat alarmed.

"Listen to me, Emma. You go take Harry and get him some medicine. You should save us as much as you can in the meantime to get out of this dump."

"Jade-"

"Don't argue with me." Jade snaps as Emma opens her mouth again to respond. "Go home and try to get some sleep."

Emma quickly stands, and shooting Jade a watery smile of thanks, she hobbles out of her booth and makes her way to the exit. Jade watches her go with a satisfied expression and doesn't even seem to mind when Robbie moves to stand closer to her than usual.

"That was very sweet of you." Robbe croaks softly into her ear. "Are you allowed to do that though? I mean, tell customers not to pay?"

Jade looks at Robbie like he's an idiot (what's new), and pulls out her own purse from her pocket, throwing her cash onto the table.

"Oh, Jade-" Robbie begins, rather moved by Jade's display of kindness.

"Emma is a good mother. She loves her kid and would do almost anything for him. She's in a really shitty situation right now. This world could do with a few less assholes. The least I can do is fork out a bit of money to pay for that poor girl's dinner."

Robbie nods in understanding, but he's still quite bemused by her actions. Why hadn't he noticed how thoughtful Jade was? It reminded him of yesterday when Jade had prevented him from ordering food with gluten in it. Perhaps she's always been the silent carer.

"Looks like she could use some more help though. Doesn't she have a family she can turn to?"

Jade bites her lip awkwardly. "They don't know she's had a kid. They think she's at College right now."

Robbie gawks at Jade, a frown taking over his features.

"Nobody's perfect, Robbie." She tells him suddenly, sensing his disapproval. "She's a good mum. She does her best, and that's a lot more than can be said for most people in this world.

Robbie thinks about his own mum who's probably passed out on the living room couch currently. He nods fervently in agreement.

"You're a good person too Jade." He blurts. He doesn't know why this seems like such an important thing to tell her, but he exhales deeply once the words escape his mouth. Jade stares at him slightly dazedly, then weakly smiles.

"You're not too bad yourself, Shapiro."

And without saying another word, the pair leaves the diner together. It's the first time Robbie doesn't feel so alone.

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 **Thank you for all the reviews. Please keep on leaving your comments and suggestions.**


	3. Wednesday Night

**So… reviews dropped heaps in the last chapter. Really disappointing. Please, guys, if there's something you didn't like about the chapter or something you want me to improve, leave me some feedback.**

 **This chapter is angsty (well, more angsty than usual) and perhaps a little OOC because I wrote it when I was in a really down mood. I'll pick up the tone from the next chapter (if I continue with this fic).**

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Jade seems quieter tonight as she hands him her specially cooked raspberry friand before sitting down opposite him for her break. She's looking rather distant, and her usually carefully applied eyeliner is looking slightly smudged and worn around her stormy eyes. Even her hair is loose tonight instead of pulled back.

Robbie wants to ask what's wrong, but he knows Jade does not appreciate when people her pry into her life. Instead, he takes a large bite of his dessert and announces,

"You are an incredible cook, Jade. Where did you learn how to bake so well?"

Jade allows a small smile to appear on her face, but she still looks rather sad.

"I had to learn. No one else was going to make things at my place."

Robbie is caught off guard by her answer. He feels a pang in his chest as he glances down.

"Well… you're really good." He tells her, still looking at the oil-stained table. He wants to tell her that he understands completely. His own parents definitely weren't nominees for the world's most caring mum and dad award. He knew it sucked. It was one thing to feel like you didn't belong at school, but when you were outcast in your own family, well that really did sting.

"My mum used to be a good cook. When I was really little and I had a nightmare or something, we'd stay in the kitchen baking till nearly 3am. Or if mum had one of her bad days, we'd cook up a five-course meal together and bring it to the neighbours the next day." Jade continues, looking down morosely at her hardly touched coffee.

"You're mum sounds pretty cool." Robbie says softly. He thinks about his own mother who has never made more than a bowl of cereal for him since he was six. Ever since he could remember, his family had lived off takeout. His dad used to complain about this constantly. In fact, Robbie's father was the only person to do any grocery shopping at all when he used to live at home. No wonder the fridge had been so empty.

"She was pretty cool." She sighs. "Most of the time." Jade bites her lip anxiously as she appears to get lost in an apparent wave of memories. "But not all the time." She mutters. "My mum had pretty bad depression. Dad left, he couldn't handle it. She got even worse then. She mostly locked herself up in her room. I taught myself how to cook everything on my own from the old cookbooks she used to collect at garage sales. I hoped that I might impress or prove to her that we'd be okay without him. He's always been a no good jerk."

Robbie can feel himself holding his breath, his palms dampening in sweat as he raises his bowed head to watch Jade speak. Her eyes are glossed over and she appears to be lost in her own world.

"Nothing worked though."

"I'm sorry." Robbie breathes, his throat unbearably dry as he gawks at Jade. "I hope she gets better."

Jade doesn't appear to acknowledge him fully. Her eyes were widening, and Robbie could just make out the beginnings of tears beginning to swirl in her glassy orbs. Panic seizes him, and he desperately attempts to think of something to say, but to no avail.

"She can't get better. She's dead." Jade whispers. Robbie feels blood pulse to his ears. He thinks he might be sick.

"She killed herself at the beginning of this year. Actually, today would have been her birthday…" Jade trails off. She seems to become re-aware of her surroundings and shoots out of her seat. "Tell no one." She exhales dangerously, a storm of emotion clouding her eyes and she stares down at Robbie.

Robbie can't respond. His own eyes are clouding over and he has to blink rather rapidly in an attempt to clear his vision. Perhaps the lack of sleep was catching up with him. He's still mute in shock and suddenly even the delicious friand hardly touched in front of him makes his stomach churn nauseatingly.

Robbie blinks helplessly, pushing back his tears. Though his mind was still attempting to process this bomb of information, he vaguely considers getting up and hugging Jade. Robbie's almost certain no words could be of any comfort at this point, but he resists this urge out of fear for his life.

Jade doesn't refill his coffee cup that night. She ignores him completely, only stopping to speak once with the old man seated in front of his now only half eaten pancakes though he'd been seated there for three hours.

When 6am comes, she races out of the café. Robbie fumbles after her, hastily throwing a few notes on the table before staggering in her direction. To his dismay, by the time he gets outside, he sees that Jade is already in the driver's seat of her car. He's sure she's about to take off, but as she turns the car keys, her engine makes a rather alarming gurgling sound, and before long black smoke is filling the air as the car completely shuts off.

Even from outside the car he can hear a string of curse words flying out of Jade's mouth. She slams her hands angrily on her steering wheel, and to Robbie's alarm, he begins to notice thick tears falling in a rapid succession down her pale cheeks.

He can't restrain himself this time. He throws open her door and put his arms around her. He's expecting Jade to lash out, perhaps claw him up or punch him angrily. What he's not anticipating is for Jade to fall into his embrace, clutching him helplessly as she sobbed in fury into his chest. Robbie instinctively holds her a little tighter, stroking the back of her hair the way Beck use to. He's glad she's not wearing a ponytail that day, her hair is remarkably soft and it's almost a shame when he draws back.

"I'll drive you home." He states, sensing Jade's sobs quietening down.

Jade pulls away from his chest, cringing at the large wet stain left on his shirt. She looks rather weak now, her makeup smudged and eyes still watery. He thinks he can notice the effect of her lack of sleep as she seems sort of subdued, dully nodding as she gets out of her seat and walks with him to his car.

He drives her home in silence, watching her walk into her dark and uninviting home. When he's in the safety of his own room, he finally allows himself to cry too. The next morning he wakes up to a text from Jade. It says one thing,

"Thanks."


	4. Thursday Night (part 1)

**Sorry for the long wait. I'm nearing the end of my university exams and everything sucksssss. :(**

 **Thank God for Dynasty. The show is perfection and really one of the main things I look forward to each week. Did everyone watch the last episode? When Fallon said, "Robbie," my heart clenched up. Brought back so many memories.**

 **Big thanks to all the lovely people who reviewed the last chapter. Would mean so much to me if anyone who's reading this fic would also take some time out to leave a comment.**

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Jade corners Robbie at school the next day. It's probably the first time she's ever sought him out alone before, and Robbie can't help but beam at her with moony eyes. He was nervous that she might avoid him after last night's "incident" (as he now referred to it as), and the thought made his insides twist nauseatingly. For the first time in his life, he couldn't help but feel as if he had a real friend, someone who understood what it was like to be lost in a busy world. He was scared their little bubble might burst. Things had gotten very real very fast last night, and Jade was not known for opening up to people.

His fears are ever so slightly allayed when Jade fights off a notable smirk as she regards his moonbeam gaze as she approaches. She knows she looks hot today. After last night's breakdown (as she, unfortunately, referred to it as), she decided to put in some extra effort into her appearance. You know, just as a reminder to nerdy Shapiro that she was still a hard-core badass who could get any guy she wanted if she so desired. And okay, maybe this was all one big act to hide the fact that she was lonely as hell, but that Geek was getting too familiar with her in a stained apron and ponytail. Really, she didn't mind too much that he saw her like that, but it was important for him to remember that Jade West was a force to be reckoned with and not some emotional, vulnerable girl.

She comes to a stop in front of Robbie, and for some strange reason, she automatically reaches forward to adjust the collar of his shirt. She almost laughs when Robbie lets out a soft, happy sigh.

Vaguely, Robbie spots Beck in the background watching the scene in confusion. His full attention falls back on Jade again when she begins to talk though.

"Are you coming tonight?" She mutters, still leaning in closer towards him so as to not be overheard.

"Yes." Robbie hastily nods, noting dully that Jade's smells like Vanilla. It's a nice scent. Why hadn't he noticed before?

"Could you drive me?" She asks, her warm breath tickling Robbie's chin. He feels oddly happy with her this close to him. He blames the vanilla fumes clouding his senses as he continues to beam at her like a love-struck fool.

"Of course." Robbie nods eagerly. Jade rolls her eyes at him before quickly strutting off without so much as a thanks, but Robbie knows she is grateful.

It doesn't take long for someone new to appear beside him once she's gone. Beck had raced over the second Jade had walked off, and he was looking rather curious and slightly upset.

"Hey, what was Jade speaking to you about?" He asks, his tone forcibly casual.

Robbie turns to answer his friend, then freezes. Had Beck known about Jade's mum? Surely not, or Beck would have stuck by Jade during that time. Still, how had Jade's boyfriend of three years not known about something so major?

"Nothing. School work." He lies. Beck seems to relax slightly.

"Has she mentioned me at all?"

Robbie looks at Beck surprised. "No." he answers slowly. "We don't really talk." he fibs.

"Of course." Beck laughs, shrugging Robbie off. "It's just, I kind of miss her, you know. She's hardly around these days. Anyway, I'm thinking of asking her out to Simon's party tomorrow night. Do you think she'll say yes?"

For some reason, Robbie feels a pang of disappointment shoot through his heart though he doesn't know why. "Maybe," he mumbles unhelpfully, but Beck's paying him hardly any attention.

"Cool." Beck grins, thumping Robbie in a friendly manner on his back before walking off. Robbie watches him go, his feeling of disappointment growing with each step.

He continues to feel disappointed when he walks into his house after school. He'd been avoiding his mother like the plague, and though he felt slightly guilty for abandoning her, he'd been too consumed with thoughts of Jade to care for much else.

He's surprised when he spots his mother sitting at the kitchen counter, this time with a hardly touched glass of wine in front of her. She was flicking through a four-month old magazine on home décor and looked startled by Robbie's appearance.

"Hey, mum." Robbie sighs, trying to decipher whether his mother was already drunk. She looked more alert than usual, but he could never be certain with her.

"Where have you been, Robbie? You're never home." She murmurs, flicking through a few more magazine pages. Robbie has to blink a few times to not get stuck in a whirl of memories that flash through his mind of his mother before his dad left. She often would sit at the bench making renovation plans for the house (none which ever took place, but Robbie had liked to sit with her and offer up suggestions).

"Out." He replies.

"Oh…. that's nice."

"I'm hanging out with a girl. Her name is Jade." He suddenly blurts. He doesn't have the slightest clue as to what has compelled him to make such a declaration, but he feels proud of it anyway.

"Jade? That's- a nice name. Is she… your girlfriend?"

She's not, but Robbie only shrugs his shoulders.

His mum blinks again.

"I… well… I'd like to meet her. Yes, maybe sometime" She murmurs to herself. Robbie almost snorts but restrains himself. "I think I'll take a shower and go to the shops. Did you know there's no food in the house?"

Robbie doesn't bother replying, but he's surprised when his mother stands up and exits the room without taking her usual glass of red wine with her. Before Robbie can even stop himself, he takes the remaining liquid in her glass and pours it down the sink, alongside the remaining alcohol in the bottle just to be safe.

Then he leaves for Jade's. She had texted him to come by earlier so that he could go through her calc homework before driving her to work, but Robbie was suspicious she just enjoyed his company.

His suspicions are confirmed when he arrives and Jade drags him into her lounge room to watch Sweeney Todd with her. Robbie laughs when Jade sings along to all the songs, cockney accent and all. She doesn't even seem to mind when Robbie grips her arm when blood starts spurting from Sweeney's victims' necks. In fact, she lets out a sound that remarkably resembles a giggle before taking pity on him and suggesting they go through each other's homework.

He smiles gratefully at Jade as she skims through his Advanced English essay, scoffing at his analysis and crossing out some of his more feeble sentences and rewriting them. Robbie bites back a grin as he begins Jade's calc work (she hadn't even bothered starting any of the homework questions yet which Robbie would have to lecture her about later, but better to pick the right moment for his battles).

"Where's your dad?" he asks casually, as Jade finally passes him back his now complete essay.

"Some work retreat." She shrugs, leaning over to rest her chin on Robbie's shoulder as she looks at his working out. Robbie smells rather nice she notes, like soap and mint toothpaste. Beck always reeked of some cologne or hairspray.

"Oh. Do you get lonely all by yourself." Robbie asks, fighting off a blush at Jade's close proximity.

He can feel her frowning and lets out a small gulp. Why had he asked such a question? Jade surprises him though. She doesn't yell or punch him. Instead, she leans back again and shrugs.

"A little. I guess. I'm used to it though."

"I'll stay with you tonight." Robbie voices. He immediately turns beet red, completely caught off guard by his sudden admission.

Jade looks at him with a raised eyebrow but actually smirks. "Ah, should have guessed your sudden interest in me was all just a ploy to worm your way into my bedroom."

"Gosh, Jade. No, that's not it at all. That was never my intention. I would never- I have so much respect- I don't want you to think-"

Jade was in a fit of laughter at Robbie's rambled splutters. Her laughs increase when Robbie reaches for his inhaler.

"So sexy." She snorts, brushing away imaginary tears from her eyes. "I was just kidding, you idiot. You can stay if you want."

Robbie blushes even harder, but can't help but register Jade's relaxed smile. Robbie doesn't think he's ever seen a girl more beautiful.

"Hey, I'll cook you dinner." Robbie suddenly announces, more to distract his own wondering mind. Jade looks very pleased and makes a sort of noncommittal grunting sound. It's probably a nice change for her to have someone else cooking and serving her food. She even seems impressed when Robbie announces he'll make her fresh pesto.

"It's strange to have a fridge actually full for a change," Robbie hums happily, taking out some basil.

"Jessica, dad's new wife, is some health nut. Doesn't your mum cook at all?"

Robbie snorts as he crushes the garlic cloves, perhaps squishing them a little harder than necessary. "Mum would need to be sober for more than 30 minutes to actually make something in the kitchen, and let's face it, that hasn't happened for nearly 10 years." He freezes for a second at his loose confession and hesitantly glances towards Jade.

He's relieved to see there's no pity in her gaze. She does look thoughtful, however. Robbie hadn't mentioned his own crappy home life to her before, but judging by the knowing glint in her eye, she'd been suspicious.

"Parents suck." She announces.

"People suck." He adds. Jade grins.

"Not all people." She eventually admits, looking once again rather strangely at Robbie.

Robbie doesn't comment on it and instead changes the conversation to Sikowitz's class as he finishes cooking their food. The pair ate together rather happily, and Jade's increasingly surprised by just how comfortable she feels around Robbie. Not even Beck had made her feel this relaxed before. In fact, she was almost invariably on edge around him. But Robbie, nerdy, awkward, yet strangely sweet Robbie Shapiro made her feel comfortable.

She supposed things could be weirder. Robbie, after all, was very similar to her in many ways. Not just their same shitty living situation, but Robbie, like her, cared about school. He took time to notice things around him. He cared about what others thought, yet still stayed true to himself. He was actually quite witty, his sarcasm almost rivaling hers at times, and though Jade hated to admit it, Robbie was also, dare she say it, quite…. handsome?

When had that nerdy geek grown so tall? He was thin, but his shoulders were lean and broad, the exact body shape Jade liked in men (she hated guys who were all stocky and muscles). Even the usual mess of curls she remembered him having when they were adolescents was cut shorter and tamed. She was tempted to run her fingers through his hair for it still looked enticingly soft. And minus the repulsive orange sweater he currently wore, Jade was struck but how damn attractive she found him as a whole.

"Jade, you okay? Your elbow is in your pasta?" Robbie yelps, grabbing a napkin and dapping Jade's arm.

Jade glances down with a sigh. Darn, those green stains weren't coming out anytime soon.

Wincing, she shrugs Robbie off and looks at her wall clock before letting out a loud groan.

"Dude, we need to leave now or I'll be late."

Robbie dutifully leaps into action, scooping up both their nearly empty plates and placing them in the sink. "I'll do the dishes when we get back." He tells Jade as they walk to his car.

"You'll make such a good housewife one day." Jade quips as Robbie slides into the driver's seat next to her.

Robbie makes another funny sound in his throat that really should annoy Jade, but somehow it only made her grin more.

"Oh hush." He scolds.

Jade's grin grows.

* * *

 ** _TBC_**


	5. Thursday Night (part 2)

**SO… because of the overwhelming lack of reviews I'm assuming people are not reading this fic. I'll make the next chapter the last one.**

 **Super tempted to up the rating and just throw in some light smut… What's come over me? It must be the euphoria of** **having finished my exams. We'll see. I'll probably chicken out.**

 **Also, new Dynasty episode tonight (whoop whoop).**

 **/**

* * *

Now that Jade was in Robbie's car again (and this time, not being a complete emotional mess), she takes the time to flick through his belongings. "You sure like Green Day." She smirks, flicking through his CDs. Her eyes then turn to his back seat and she almost jumps in fright. Sitting creepily in the middle chair was Robbie's smirking, evil, sidekick. She hadn't seen Rex for a while. She'd pretty easily forgotten about him to be honest which she was more than fine with.

"What's that stupid puppet doing back there?" She spits, her eyes glued to the doll in dislike.

"He doesn't like when you call him that." Robbie gulps immediately.

"Robbie. I am not playing games with you. That stupid doll is a puppet, and you know it." Jade growls, spinning back around to face the front. She can't help but glance to the rear view mirror though; that creepy puppet freaked her out. "I thought you sold him off to Mason Thornesmith's kid. Why did you get him back? Rex is annoying." She complained, duly noting that Robbie's attractiveness level dropped considerably when that dummy came to mind. That would probably explain why she'd never noticed how much she actually liked Shapiro until now.

Robbie merely shrugs, his eyes not leaving the road. "People like Rex. People listen to Rex. Even back in middle school, no one would ever talk to me unless I had Rex with me."

"People are pretty fucking stupid." Jade reminds him, still glaring at the puppet through the rearview mirror.

"I know." Robbie admits, then without even knowing why he asks, "do you know Beck wants to ask you out to a party tomorrow night."

This distracts Jade as she turns away from the mirror and peers instead at Robbie. "Yeah, I know. He asked me out at lunch."

"Oh." Robbie breathes.

"I said no."

Now Robbie coughs. "Wait, really? Why?"

Jade smirks at him but takes her time to slowly reply, "We're just not good for each other. I don't think I really love him anymore."

"Did he know about your mum?" Robbie asks before he can help himself.

Jade looks angry now. "Don't talk to me about my mum." She snaps, but then adds, "but to answer your question, no. I never could talk to him about her, even when I wanted to. It was just too hard with him. He's got a perfect little life, and I didn't want to damage him by offloading any more of my crap onto him. It wasn't his burden to carry."

"But Beck was your boyfriend. He would have –"

"Shut up." Jade screams. Robbie quickly quietens. They're almost at the café when he suddenly has the impulse to announce, "I know it's hard. My mum's an alcoholic. I know what it's like to carry that secret and feel like you can't tell anyone. I understand. I'm here for you if you ever need to talk."

He's scared Jade will yell at him again, but instead her features soften.

"I know. I trust you, Robbie." She tells him gently. "Do you trust me?" she asks after a brief silence.

Robbie hastily nods.

"Then trust me when I say you don't need Rex. You're better off without him."

Robbie jerks his head this time, but when they pull into the small parking lot, he takes Rex by the foot and hurls him into the large dumpster. Jade whoops appreciatively, and to Robbie's delight, she takes his hand in her own as they walk into the diner.

Robbie thought he might feel regret or anxiety having discarded Rex so easily, but with Jade by his side, he simply felt elated. It was the first time she'd really walked beside him as opposed to a few paces in front.

It appears other people notice this too, as the old man who was seated at his usual table actually beams at the pair as they entered.

"Is he a good one?" The old man wheezed. Jade actually lets out a laugh, and to Robbie's eternal surprise, gives his hand a little squeeze.

"He's alright." She shrugs, before pulling Robbie with her to the counter.

"What was that about?" Robbie asks in confusion when they're a little further away from the elder. He pouts briefly when Jade drops his hand to crawl under the bench but smiles again when Jade lets out a light chuckle.

"He thinks you're my boyfriend." Jade titters, pulling out an apron from behind the counter. "He knows about Beck. He was the one who told me I deserved better." Jade grinned. "I bet he was hitting on me."

"Eww, Jade he's like 90."

Jade grins some more. "I'm kidding. He's already got the love of his life."

"Really. I haven't seen her."

"She's dead," Jade states bluntly like it's rather obvious. "But he says he still sees her."

Robbie smiles gently at this, nodding in understanding. He makes his way to his usual seat then as Jade walks into the kitchen. The lady in the business suit comes in an hour later and nods in Robbie's direction. Robbie smiles back.

When Jade emerges awhile later with a tray of brownies in her hand, she smirks as she notices Robbie's relaxed stance. He fits right in with all the other outcasted weirdos of the diner, herself included. "Here you go, loser." She teases, handing him his plate. "Looks like you're one of us now."

* * *

By accident, Robbie falls asleep at the table some time during Jade's shift. He did refer to himself as quite an insomniac, but it was clear that Jade was more experienced with handling constant late nights then he was. He's surprised when he's woken by a gentle hand squeezing his shoulder.

"Dude, it's 6am. We gotta head home." Jade murmurs gently as Robbie blinkingly looks around. His faces breaks into a broad smile when he notices Jade's gentle grip on his shoulder. He probably looks like a lovesick fool, confirmed by the smirks of the two truck drivers who were watching the scene from behind Jade.

"Oh. Sorry." He apologises, blushing a little. "How aren't you tired?" he insists as they walk out the door, still ignoring the men who shoot Robbie a thumbs up as Jade curls her hand around Robbie's arm.

"I don't know," Jade admits. "Sometimes I feel tired, but when I lie down my mind just starts buzzing with thoughts and I can't sleep."

Her words make Robbie frown. He can relate to them, but he still wishes there was some way for her just to relax and feel safe enough to let her mind and body unwind.

They decide to stop by Jade's abandoned car to see if they can get it working before they head home. Robbie's just about to suggest that they come back tomorrow with a mechanic when the calming silence of the early dawn is interrupted by the sound of a rumbling car tearing into the small parking lot.

Robbie instantly gulps when a group of four, rough looking and loudly spoke drunk men pour out of the car, yelling slurs as they tumble out. Jade beside him also cringes and grabs Robbie's hand.

"They look like trouble. Let's go." Jade mumbles.

Her suggestion comes a second too late though, for the group of men immediately spot the couple and instantly start hollering as they eyed Jade up and down in a rather crude fashion. Robbie can sense Jade shifting uncomfortably beside him as she moves to pull her light cardigan across her chest as the men stumble in their direction.

The group appears to have also noticed this, and leer coarsely as they take a few reaming steps to surround the pair. Jade and Robbie were trapped, pressed back against her broken car. Robbie can feel his knees buckle nervously.

"Allo gorgeous. Why don't you ditch your little pal four eyes over there and come spend time with some real men?" One of the drunk guys cackled.

"Piss off." Jade barked, anger growing in her eyes.

The men instantly roar with laughter, as if Jade's comment was hilarious to them.

Robbie's whole body was beginning to tremble nervously now, but an overwhelming urge to protect his friend overpowered his fear the second one of the men moved to put a hand on Jade's arm.

Quickly, he leaped in front of her, pushing the guy back.

"The- the lady asked you to leave her alone." He stammered pathetically, quivering as the men let out another round of obnoxious laughter.

"Lady?" Jade snorted under her breath, really not making the situation any easier for him.

"And is a little pipsqueak like you going to stop us?" one of the men challenged, his shit-eating grin growing with delight.

Gulping, Robbie nodded his head. "Yes, I am."

Everything happens very fast after that. The men move rather quickly, and Jade let's out a scream. Robbie throws up his fists, but before he even had time to swing his arm, he feels a blow to the side of his head. Then everything goes black.

When his eyes finally blink open again, the first thing he spots is Jade's gorgeous blue ones looking down at him in concern.

"Did I protect you?" Robbie moans.

"Nope." Jade grins, her eyes immediately relaxing at Robbie's now conscious state. "They knocked you out pretty quickly. It was kind of sad to watch though. Like kicking a little puppy.

"Are you okay?" Robbie asks instantly in concern, ignoring the pounding in his head and Jade's comment to sit up and look wildly around, scanning the lot for the hoons. They had evidently disappeared, and duly Robbie notes that his glasses are cracked. Someone had taken them off his face and carefully placed them by his side.

"Yes. Mark and Andrew, those two truck drivers who always come, saw everything. They managed to contain those idiots pretty quickly." Jade explains patiently.

Robbie moans in relief, laying back down again. He's surprised that his head rests on something soft instead of the hard road, only realising then that he was resting on Jade's lap. He blushes but makes no effort to move. In fact, Jade's hand suddenly appears and lightly she runs her fingers through his hair. He closes his eyes briefly and enjoys the sensation of Jade's soothing strokes.

"Robbie, you didn't need to do that for me, you know. I was already dealing with them myself shortly after you blacked out. I would have been fine even if Mark and Andrew weren't around."

"Doesn't matter. No one should be allowed to treat you like that." He sighs, his eyes still closed.

Jade purses her lips together tightly, fighting off a smile. She allows Robbie to relax a little longer before gently ushering him into an upright seated position.

"You wanna head home?" she asks.

Robbie nods dully, already missing the feeling of Jade touching his hair. He's looking at her rather moonily as Jade with surprising tenderness helps him stand upright.

"Come on, leave your car here overnight. You probably shouldn't be driving after that blow to the head." She tells him gently, helping guide him towards her car with her hand tightly wrapped around his bicep. The smell of Vanilla is wafting in the air again and feeling slightly punch drunk, Robbie wonders if Jade's lips taste of Vanilla too. He'd like to kiss them he thinks. Would she like that?

"Your car is broken." He tells her groggily as she helps him into the seat.

"Andrew fixed it for me. All good." Jade tells him, moving to the driver's seat.

Robbie wants to tell Jade how beautiful he thinks she is. He wants to tell her that he's sorry for not being stronger and protecting her properly. He wants to tell her how sorry he is for her mum. He wants her to know how special and talented and kind she truly is. He wants to tell her that he hasn't been able to think about anything besides her all week, that her face was the first thing he thought about at night and the first thing he saw in the morning. He wants to tell her that for the first time in his life he feels as if he can breathe with her by his side. He wants to tell her that he loves her.

When Jade pulls up at a red light and reaches out, suddenly taking his hand in her own to give it a squeeze, Robbie almost wonders if Jade might love him too.


	6. Friday Night

Robbie had slept over at Jade's last night (or early this morning, depending on how you viewed it). His head had been pounding pretty badly, so he had fallen asleep rather quickly. He was rather embarrassed that he never got to do the dishes like he promised. Jade laughed at him and told him that he could make it up to her by buying her a coffee. Robbie vowed to buy her coffee every day for the rest of the school year. Jade had laughed some more.

She had driven him to school that morning but was almost immediately dragged off by Cat once stepping into the overly bright hallways. Robbie didn't mind. He was pleased to see Jade look so content for once as she looked over her shoulder and raised an arm in a relaxed wave. He beamed moonily and waved back. His good mood remained all morning, and even at lunch when Robbie found himself seated alone at a table, he couldn't keep the smile off his face as he recollected Jade's soft hands stroking his hair.

Beck was off brooding about his recent rejection by Jade, and Andre had taken him out for some "bro talk" (of course, Robbie was excluded from this). Cat and Tori had decided to film a video for the Slap together, so they also weren't around. Absentmindedly, Robbie wondered if Jade would come sit with him by herself. She'd never done that before, but things were different now. They were friends. Sort of.

Robbie decided not to dwell on the thought and potentially dampen his mood, so he quickly pulled out his unfinished homework. All of the late nights he'd spent at the diner had definitely distracted him somewhat. He had no idea how Jade was still managing everything. She was so awesome.

"Are you thinking about how awesome I am again?" a voice called out from behind him, making Robbie jump in fright.

"YOU CRAZY SHIKSA. DON'T DO THAT TO ME." Robbie gasped, clutching his chest in fright. Jade chuckled happily at Robbie's dishevelled state as she slipped into the seat next to him.

"You are so manly." She smirked, battering her eyelashes playfully before stealing Robbie's container of grapes.

"Do not mock my masculinity." He scolded. Jade simply stuck her tongue out at him and resumed eating his grapes. With a dramatic huff, Robbie picked up his textbook and attempted to go back to his note-taking. Jade watched him in silence for a while, her lips pursed tightly shut but she still seemed rather at ease in his presence.

"I wanted to ask, what are you doing tonight?" Jade eventually queries.

Robbie immediately drops his pen and looks up at her with wide eyes.

"Ah – er - nothing I guess. I mean, you don't work Fridays, right?" Robbie fumbles, trying to keep the obvious eagerness out of his tone.

Jade smiled at him, pleased that he had been listening to her and actually bothered to remember her schedule. Somewhat nervously, Jade tucked a strand of hair behind her ear. "Yeah." She swallowed, then took a deep breath and rattled, "Do you wanna go to Simon's party with me?"

"Like… like on a date?" He gulped. He immediately cringed at the stupidity of his question. There was no way Jade was asking him out. She was literally the most beautiful girl in the school. She could have anyone. Why on earth would she be interested in him?

"I mean, if you want it to be," Jade replies evenly. She sounds confident, but Robbie watches her shift uncomfortably.

"SERIOUSLY? I mean… of course. Yes. I'd like that. I'd really like that." Robbie exclaimed. He could feel his heart rate hitch to an unnaturally fast pace, but desperately he attempted to act suave. Judging by the knowing glint in Jade's eye, he was failing pretty miserably.

Jade smiles timidly. "Okay, so you can pick me up 9.30 then."

"Yeah. Sure, I'll do that. I'll be there. Do you want flowers? I'll buy you flowers. Should I-"

"My God, Robbie." Jade snorted, slugging his arm. "Calm down you tit. It's not Valentine's day."

"Right." Robbie gulped.

Jade giggled.

"Okay, I'll see you tonight." She told him. Robbie tried not to gaze too longingly as she walked off to the grub truck. He couldn't believe what had just taken place. He was going on a date with Jade. THE Jade West. He vaguely wondered if he should tell Beck, but found that he didn't really care what his supposed 'friend' thought. Instead, he counted down the minutes until that afternoon. His heart felt so light he thought might float away. He hoped Jade felt the same.

* * *

Robbie had been so eager to see Jade that night he left his own home quite early (his mother hadn't even been home so he didn't have to worry about cleaning up after her). He ended up arriving at Jade's place by 8.15, then shamefully hid in his car till 9pm before knocking.

He was still half an hour early, but he figured he could maybe cook dinner for Jade again while she got dressed. To Robbie's surprise though, Jade was already changed and ready when she flung open the door. Perhaps she had been just as eager as him.

"WHOA," Robbie yelled as he soaked in Jade's appearance.

Jade smirked happily as Robbie attempted to shut his jaw which had just dropped open.

Robbie was blinking rather rapidly now as he tried to test if he was actually awake and not just dreaming again. Jade looked phenomenal. She always did, but that night in particular she was looking stunning. Apparently she was embracing a bohemian style, complete with flowing sleeves, lace detailing, a very low v-cut black blouse, and black heels that made her legs look endlessly long.

"You look beautiful." Robbie breathed.

Jade simpered appreciatively at Robbie's own appearance. She had texted him before to NOT wear a sweater, so he had gone with a simple blue button-down shirt which Jade seemed to like.

"Not bad yourself, Shapiro." She winked. Robbie blushed, and Jade had to bite the inside of her cheek to not laugh.

For the first time, Jade found herself unsure of what to say then. She glanced around her kitchen nervously, her eyes finally falling on the kitchen cabinet where she knew her father hid his Jack Daniel's.

"Come on dork. Let's kick tonight off with a bang." She purred flirtatiously, moving with a deliberate sway in her hips as she pulled out her father's whisky.

Robbie still looked rather mesmerised, but he shook his head. "I'm driving. I don't think that's wise." He smiled apologetically as Jade briefly pouted.

"One glass won't hurt," Jade mumbled. She felt slightly rejected. Couldn't Robbie see she was attempting to be cool and fun? Wasn't that what guys wanted?

"I don't drink, Jade. My Mum's an alcoholic." He explained gently, his friendly smile not leaving.

Jade's face dropped in alarm. She gasped and closed her eyes in shame. "Oh my God." She groaned, silently wishing there was a hole she could sink into. "Shit, Rob. I'm sorry. I wasn't thinking. I swear I'm not-"

"Jade, it's okay." Robbie cut in, seeing Jade's unease. He hadn't meant to make her feel bad.

"No, no, no. Robbie, I swear I'm not some crazy party girl. I hardly drink. I'm just nervous." She babbled.

Robbie wanted to reassure her, he had spent enough time with Jade to know how level headed and hard working she was, but he was distracted by Jade's comment. "Why are you nervous?" he couldn't help but ask, blinking rather rapidly in confusion. Jade was incredible. He was the dork.

"Dude, I haven't been on a date since Beck and I broke up." Jade cried. She looked slightly flushed and embarrassed, and Robbie was feeling increasingly bewildered.

"I HAVEN'T DATED EVER." Robbie hollered. Jade flinched in shock, then bit back a grin. "I TOTALLY OUT-LOSER YOU. YOU ARE A STUNNINGLY GORGEOUS, SUPER SEXY, SMART, HARD WORKING WOMAN."

"Okay. You win." Jade snorted. She won't admit it, but she's super grateful for how sweet and understanding Robbie was. She'd majorly screwed up already. She'd forgotten that Robbie wasn't like Beck (or any other guy that had hit on her in the past). She wasn't an idiot. She knew those guys only liked her cause she had big tits and was considered "cool". She had always fought to maintain this image of indifference and formidableness at all times in case her weakness were ever exposed. But Robbie had always been different. He'd liked her just as a lowly waitress in a grubby diner.

"So, wanna start over? I promise I won't start drooling again when I tell you how awesome you look." Robbie offered after a beat of awkward silence.

"Okay." Jade agreed.

Robbie made a show of walking out of the kitchen, knocking on the door and sauntering in. "Wow, darn gosh Jade, you look swell." Robbie prattled, pretending like he'd just seen Jade for the first time that night.

Jade was laughing so hard she couldn't even slug Robbie's shoulder for being a loser. Robbie grinned goofily back at her. When Jade had finally sobered up, she took his hand and pulled him outside. "Come on, let's go." She chortled.

Robbie continued to crack her up the entire car ride, singing loudly along to Green Day.

"Do you even understand how these songs spoke to my teen angst?" He yelled at Jade, "Wake me up when September ends." He added at the top of his voice.

Jade wasn't sure if she was disappointed or relieved when they arrived at Simon's party and they were playing loud music that wasn't Green Day. It wasn't much better though. INXS 80's hit "Don't Change" was blasting over the stereo.

Robbie looked so thrilled that Jade rolled her eyes and pulled him with her into the centre of the lounge. It was close to 10pm now and only dimmed lamps lit the room. No one seemed to mind. Jade and Robbie jumped on the spot together, throwing their heads back to the music like idiots. Jade thought she'd spotted Andre and Beck at one point but found that she was enjoying herself too much to care about what they might think. By 11, the music was shifting to a more slow, seedy soundtrack. Robbie blushed when he glanced over at a couple by the door frame grinding unembarrassedly. Jade caught his gaze and smirked.

"We can do so much better than that, Shapiro." She whispered into his ear.

Before Robbie could register what was going to happen, Jade spun on her heel and began to move slowly against him. Robbie could feel practically all of Jade on him. She danced with her backside pressed tightly into his, and she reached out behind her and wrapped one hand around Robbie's neck.

Jade could feel Robbie's breath rate hitch against the back of her neck. Absentmindedly she hoped he wouldn't need his inhaler. Then again, that would probably just make her laugh. Robbie was such a dork. A dork apparently that could dance though, as she could feel Robbie swaying with her, rolling his hips to meet hers and running his hands up and down her side. It felt ethereal. He felt incredible. Everything seemed incredible that night, like she was on a high from some drug.

Jade spun around again to face Robbie just as the beat of the music picked up, moving both her hands around his neck. Robbie's hands rested on her waist, and he pulled her closer so there was very little distance between them. Jade didn't pull away. She looked up into his eyes, her own blue orbs narrowed in desire.

"I want to kiss you." He whispers, leaning forward to rest his forehead against hers.

Perhaps it's the blaring music, the dimmed lights, the night air blowing in through the one open window, but he'd never felt more confident than right now.

"I hate when people say things like that." She whispers back, gently tugging at the back of his hair.

So he kisses her. It's not smooth or romantic like he had hoped it would be. His glasses knock into her frame, and his teeth clang against hers, but Jade pulls his neck closer and kisses him back hungrily. She takes control fairly quickly, pushing her tongue into his mouth and smirking as Robbie moans against her lips.

Robbie doesn't know what to do with his hands. They're still resting on Jade's hips, and just as he decides that he wants to tangle them into Jade's smooth hair, the couple was suddenly ripped apart by none on then a fuming Beck Oliver.

"What. The. Fuck." He growls, his hand on Robbie's bicep tightening in fury.

Jade looks caught off guard but then seethes at being interrupted.

"Let us go." She snaps, trying to pull away from him. Beck was also clutching Jade's arm in a painfully tight grasp.

"Is this some sick joke, Jade? Are you trying to make me jealous by hooking up with this loser?" Beck hissed, shaking Robbie like a helpless rag doll for emphasises.

Robbie feels his heart snapping, but then Jade's free fist flies out of nowhere and punches Beck right in the nose. The tanned boy howls in pain, letting go of them both. Jade doesn't wait around to see what might happen next. She takes Robbie's hand in her own and pulls him with her outside.

"Jade, I'm so sorry." Robbie cries, as Jade yanks him to his car.

Jade waits until they're both safely inside the vehicle to turn and face Robbie.

"Why are you sorry? It's not your fault Beck's a jerk."

Robbie feels slightly uplifted. For one horrific second, he had thought Beck might have been right. He still couldn't fathom why Jade would be interested in him?

Shrugging, Robbie responds, "I mean, I'm sorry for kissing you." He glances down to his lap timidly.

Jade was silent for a while, observing him with a fierce gaze.

"I didn't push you away." She eventually dawdled.

Robbie looks up from his lap and turns to her in eagerness again.

"Did you like it? Do you like me?"

"Christ Robbie, what's it with you and talking about feelings," Jade yells, willing the flush to leave her cheeks. She couldn't remember the last time she'd felt this flustered around a guy.

"So- Sorry. You don't have to answer." Robbie stuttered, but he still looked hopeful.

Sighing, Jade relented, "I do like you." Rolling her eyes, she added, "And I like kissing you too."

Robbie looked so stunned that his mouth opened and closed in silence. He sort of looked cute, he still was a massive dork, but still, a kind of cute one.

"So, do you like me?" She demanded to know. Her gaze had shifted to stare out the window to avoid Robbie's gaze. People were beginning to trail out of Simon's house now. It was approaching Midnight. She vaguely wondered if Beck had already left the party. She secretly hoped she hadn't broken his nose. Beck was a jerk, but he wasn't actually a bad guy. Not really.

Robbie shakes his head and bafflement. He thought it was fairly obvious what his feeling for Jade were. Half laughing, half choking, he gasped, "Yeah. Yeah, Jade. A lot."

Jade bites back a smile and turns back to face Robbie expectantly. "Good. Okay, enough sappiness. Let's go to the beach."

"I thought you didn't like the beach." Robbie laughs as he started up the engine and began driving them.

"I do at night. It's beautiful." Jade murmured, rolling down his window to look up at the night sky.

Neither of them seemed to know what to say for most of the remaining trip. They both sat silently, stealing quick glances at one another as often as possible. An hour later when Robbie pulled into a parking space next to El Matador beach, he shot Jade a small smile.

Jade rolled her eyes at Robbie's mooniness, before getting out of the car and taking Robbie's hand in her own as they walked towards the sand.

Robbie couldn't help the content sigh that escaped his lips as Jade pulled him towards a bench to sit with her. They were still holding hands, and now they're legs we're brushed up next to each other as they looked out onto the ocean. The waves were cascading in black swirls, and the sound of them hitting the shore was rough and daunting, but Jade smiled as she closed her eyes and rested her head against Robbie's shoulder.

"Are you lonely, Robbie?" She suddenly asks, her eyes still shut.

"Sometimes. Are you?" Robbie asks back.

"Sometimes."

"I don't get it." Robbie bites, frowning suddenly. Jade leaned off his shoulder and looked up at him in concern. "It doesn't make sense that you're lonely. You're beautiful, Jade. And smart, and talented, and witty, and helpful, and-"

"Calm down, Romeo," Jade smirks, nudging him lightly in the ribs. "Be serious, Robbie. Look at me. Do I appear to be the sort of person someone would easily approach.?

"Um, not really," Robbie admitted, still not seeing her point.

"That's right. I'm not friendly like Tori or popular like Beck or sociable like Andre or even cute like Cat. I mean, for a while I tried to put on this show for everyone, acting like I hated everything and didn't care about anyone, and people were drawn to that because I was mysterious and dark. But I can't do it anymore. I'm just sad, Robbie. There's nothing cool or intriguing about that. When Beck left, everyone followed him, and you know, I thought I was okay with that. But I don't think I was. Not really. I didn't have anybody. Even all those people in the diner had someone, but I was alone. Everyone forgot about me. And then you found me. For so long it's been like a weight was pressing on my heart. I was beginning to think maybe my mum had the right idea laving this shit world behind. But I've told you before. I want to live. I want to explore the world and be successful and accomplish my dreams. And for the first time, when you were with me, I felt like maybe I could. I felt happy. I feel free."

Robbie kisses her then.

This time it is perfect. He takes his time, cupping Jade's face gently in his own and guiding her lips to meet his. Jade's slower this time too, less frantic and relaxes into his touch. Robbie grins as he tastes Jade's mango lip balm, and he can detect just the slight taste of coffee on her tongue as he bravely deepens their kiss.

Jade's hands move to trace his broad shoulders and, oh God, he really hopes that she doesn't feel his excitement pressing into her as she slowly crawls onto the bench to straddle Robbie's lap, pulling herself so close to him so that her breasts were pressed against his chest.

Robbie strokes the sides of her hips nervously, and Jade let out a small hum of appreciation. More daringly, he allows his fingers to trace up and down her back, finally moving to caress Jade's hair.

Jade lips leave his and instead attach to his pulse point which she begins to viciously suck and nip at, making Robbie moan in ecstasy. He's vaguely aware that they are in public and that anyone could walk onto the dark beach at any moment, but he's finding it very difficult to care about any scandalised onlookers when Jade was now kissing his jawline back to his mouth.

"You make me feel alive, Robbie." She murmurs against his lips.

Robbie can't find any words to respond. He kisses her lips again frantically and hopes she can understand what he wants to say.

* * *

Much later that night Robbie finds himself in Jade's room again. Unlike last night where he'd slept on a mattress on the floor, tonight he finds himself next to Jade on her bed. She was basically lying on top of him, but Robbie was holding her waist so tight she couldn't move even if she wanted to.

"Is your mind racing again?" Robbie breathed lightly, his eyes not leaving Jade's face.

"Mhmm." Jade murmured into the crook of his neck.

"I wish you could sleep you know. I wish you could just relax and feel peaceful."

"I feel safe when I'm with you. I haven't felt safe since my mum died." She whispered. "What are you doing to me, Robbie?"

Robbie hummed gently. "Do you know how lonely I was until I found you in that diner?" he instead countered. "Maybe we needed each other."

"Don't be sappy," Jade mumbled, but he could feel her mouth slightly upturn against his neck. "If I go to sleep, will you still be here when I wake up?" she asked quietly.

Robbie briefly tightened his grip before raising one hand to run his fingers through Jade's soft hair.

"I won't leave you. I will never leave you."

"Kay," Jade mumbled groggily, and for the first time in many months, Jade closed her eyes peacefully and allowed sleep to overtake her, feeling warm and protected in Robbie's arms. Robbie continued to stroke her hair, and when he could finally hear her deep breaths, a sign she was finally asleep, Robbie placed another kiss on her forehead.

There was nothing particularly sexual about their position, but Robbie doesn't think he's ever been in a more intimate position in his life.

"I love you, Jade West," he tells her sleeping form.

He doesn't expect Jade to say it back to him, at least not anytime soon. Her heart was still damaged. But when a soft, content sigh escaped Jade's lips as she snuggled deeper into Robbie's embrace, still fast asleep, Robbie was certain that together they might be able to fix it. She had certainly already fixed his.

* * *

 **/**

 **Sorry guys for the long wait. I've lacked any motivation to write at the moment. Hope this chapter is satisfactory. I don't love it, but this is the best I can produce at this point.**

 **There are unfortunately several scenes which I never got to write (about Robbie's mum, Beck's reaction to Jade and Robbie, Jade's mum and dad, etc), but hopefully there's enough rade to compensate. Maybe one day I'll come back and finish off this fic. For now, this is the end.**

 **If you enjoyed this fic, I'd really appreciate a review. Who knows, maybe you will reinspire me!**

 **xx**


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